The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced their winners for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards representing the best in documentary film for 2023. Here are this year’s winners…
Best Feature Documentary
Against the Tide (India | BBC Storyville | Director: Sarvnik Kaur | Producer: Koval Bhatia, Sarvnik Kaur)
ANHELL69 (Colombia | Square Eyes | Director: Theo Montoya | Producers: Bianca Oana, David Hurst, Theo Montoya, Juan Pablo Castrillon, Balthasar Busmann, Maximilian Haslberger)
Apolonia, Apolonia (Denmark | HBO Max | Director: Lea Glob | Producer: Sidsel Lønvig Siersted)
Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Uganda | National Geographic Documentary Films | Directors: Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp | Producers: Christopher Sharp, John Battsek)
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (United States | HBO Documentary Films | Directors: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster | Producers: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, Tommy Oliver)
In The Rearview (Poland | Cinephil | Director: Maciek Hamela | Producer: Maciek Hamela, Piotr Grawender)
Milisuthando (South Africa | Director: Milisuthando Bongela | Producer: Marion Isaacs, Viviana Gomez, Sonia Barrera, Milisuthando Bongela, Hankyeol Lee)
Q (United States | Director: Jude Chehab | Producer: Jude Chehab, Fahd Ahmed)
The Mother of All Lies (Morocco | Arizona Distribution | Director: Asmae El Moudir | Producer: Asmae El Moudir)
While We Watched (United Kingdom, India | POV, BRITDOC Films | Director: Vinay Shukla | Producers: Vinay Shukla, Khushboo Ranka, Luke W Moody)
Best Short Documentary
How to Carry Water (United States | Multitude Films | Director: Sasha Wortzel | Producers: Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney, Anya Rous)
Incident (United States | Hypnotic Pictures | Director: Bill Morrison | Producers: Bill Morrison, Jamie Kalven)
Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles (United States | The New Yorker, Condé Nast Entertainment | Director: Dmytro Sukholytkyy Sobchuk | Producer: Daniel Lombroso)
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) (Australia | Other Pictures | Directors: Derik Lynch, Matthew Thorne | Producers: Matthew Thorne, Patrick Graham)
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma) (United States | Director: Sean Wang | Producer: Sean Wang, Sam Davis)
Neighbour Abdi (The Netherlands | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Douwe Dijkstra | Producer: Richard Valk)
Raat: Night Time in Small Town India (India | The Third Eye | Directors: Arti Ahirwar, Ashraf Hussain, Rajkumari Ahirwar, Vikas Khatri, Tabassum Ansari, Kulsum Khatoon, Khushi Bano, Parmeshwar Mandrawaliya, Santra Chaurthiya, Rajkumari Prajapati, Manisha Chanda, Anita Sen, Rani Devi, Ajfarul Shaikh | Producers: Rima Dairi Morris, Chris Collins, Jaden Pan)
Suddenly TV (Sudan | Gisa Productions | Director/Producer: Roopa Gogineni)
The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off (Germany | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Director: Philipp Schaeffer | Producer: Fabian Leonhardt)
The Veiled City (United Kingdom | JSH Films | Director: Natalie Cubides-Brady | Producer: Jacob Swan Hyam)
Best Director Nominees
The Mother Of All Lies – Asmae El Moudir (Arizona Distribution | Morocco)
Milisuthando – Milisuthando Bongela (South Africa)
Against the Tide – Sarvnik Kaur (BBC Storyville | India)
ANHELL69 – Theo Montoya (Square Eyes | Colombia)
Apolonia, Apolonia – Lea Glob (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
Best TV Feature Documentary or Mini-Series Nominees
Great Photo, Lovely Life (HBO Max | USA | Directors: Amanda Mustard, Rachel Beth Anderson | EP: Rachel Dretzin, Producers: Amanda Mustard, Rachel Beth Anderson, Luke Malone)
How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer (Showtime | USA | Director: Jeff Zimbalist | EP: Vinnie Malhotra, Stu Schreiberg, John Buffalo Mailer, Producers: Victoria Marquette, Jeff Zimbalist)
Mariupol: The People’s Story (BBC | UK | Director: Robin Barnwell | EP: Darren Kemp, Tom Stone | Producer: Hilary Andersson)
Reggie (Prime Video | USA | Director: Alexandria Stapleton | EP: Brenda Gilbert, Aaron L. Gilbert, Josh Miller, Kim Carsten, Zoë Morrison, Jason Cloth, Suraj Maraboyina, Producers: Alexandria Stapleton, Christopher Leggett, Rafael Marmor, Daniel Crown, Yoni Liebling)
The U.S. and the Holocaust (PBS | USA | Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Sarah Botstein | EP: Ken Burns, Producers: Sarah Botstein, Lynn Novick, Mike Welt)
Best Curated Series Nominee
American Masters (PBS | USA | EP: Michael Kantor)
America ReFramed (American Documentary, Inc, WORLD Channel | USA | EP: Erika Dilday, Chris White, Christopher Hastings)
Independent Lens (PBS, Independent Lens | USA | EP: Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen)
POV (PBS | USA, Denmark, Brazil | EP: Erika Dilday; Chris White)
Reel South (PBS, WORLD Channel | USA, South Korea, UK | EP: Rachel Raney, Don Godish, Donald Washington, Linda Midgett)
Best Episodic Series Nominees
Frozen Planet II (BBC America | USA | Producer: Mark Brownlow)
Our Planet II (Netflix | USA, UK | Producers: Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey)
Telemarketers (HBO Max | USA | Producers: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Dani Bernfeld, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Greg Stewart, Brandon James, Adam Bhala Lough, Sam Lipman-Stern, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen)
The Hair Tales (Hulu | USA | Producers: Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross, Michaela Angela Davis, Tara Duncan, Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg, Kisah Imani Cameron, Kadine Anckle, Nicole Galovski)
VICE (Showtime | USA | Producers: Beverly Johnson, Subrata De)
Best Multi-Part Documentary Nominees
Algiers, America (Hulu | USA | Director: Jackson Fager | Producers: Jackson Fager, Jeffrey Fager, David Rohde, Connor Schell, Libby Geist, Raina Kelley, Joseph Langford, Durado Brookes)
Burden of Proof (HBO Max | USA | Director: Cynthia Hill | Producers: Charlotte Cook, Rahdi Taylor, Davis Guggenheim, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller)
Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court (Showtime | USA | Director: Dawn Porter | Producers: Vinnie Malhotra, Aaron Saidman, Eli Holzman, Dawn Porter)
Dear Mama (FX | USA | Director: Allen Hughes | EP: Lasse Järvi, Quincy “QD3” Jones III, Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Soseph, Ted Skillman, Allen Hughes, Steve Berman, Marc Cimino, Jody Gerson, John Nanick, Nicholas Ferrall, Nigel Sinclair)
Ladies First: The Story of Women in Hip-Hop (Netflix | USA | Directors: Hannah Beachler, Raeshem Nijhon, Dream Hampton | Producers: Dream Hampton, Troy Carter, Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg, MC Lyte, Nicole Galovski, Justin Simien, Jennifer Ryan)
Best Short-Form Series Nominees
99: True Stories From Your Fellow Humans (99 | USA, India, UK | Producer: Jérôme Plan)
Couples Therapy (Showtime | USA | Producers: Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, Vinnie Malhotra)
Equals (Anahad Foundation | USA | Producers: Shuchi Roy, Mudit Chaturvedi)
POV Shorts (American Documentary | USA | Producers: Erika Dilday, Chris White)
Queer Futures (Multitude Films | USA | Producers: Jess Devaney, Anya Rous, J Wortham)
Best Stand-Alone Audio Documentary Nominees
K-Pop Dreaming, Episode 3 – “Trot” (USA | LAist Studios | Host: Vivian Yoon | Producers: Fiona Ng, Antonia Cereijido)
Les gardiennes du temple (The Guardians of the Temple) (France | SMAC Le Florida, Théâtre des Quatre Saisons, RTBF, RTS Culture SRG SSR | Hosts: Aurélien Caillaux, Benoit Bores | Producers: Faïdos Sonore, Les Voix de Traverse, SMAC Le Florida, Théâtre des Quatre Saisons)
Melanie Speaks (USA | SiriusXM Podcast Network | Host: Sarah Esocoff | Producers: Kameel Stanley, Jen Derwin, Bill Crandal, Mike Spinella, Sarah Bentley, Sarah Esocoff)
NPR’s Invisibilia: Freedom Diving (USA | NPR | Host: Kia Miakka Natisse | Producers: Phoebe Wang, Ariana Gharib Lee)
This Coal Life (South Africa | Host: Lesedi Mogoatlhe | Reporter: Siyabonga Mokoena | Producer: Dhashen Moodley)
Toughie (USA | BBC’s Short Cuts | Host: Josie Long | Reporter/Producer: Sarah Craig)
Best Multi-Part Audio Documentary or Series Nominees
Foretold (USA | Los Angeles Times | Host: Faith E. Pinho | Producers: Asal Ehsanipour, Alex Higgins, Heba Elorbany, Jazmin Aguilera, Lauren Raab, Avery Trufelman, Sue Horton)
Into America presents: Street Disciples (USA | MSNBC | Host: Trymaine Lee | Producers: Aisha Turner, Isabel Angell, Max Jacobs, Allison Bailey, Mike Brown, Janmaris Perez)
Operation Morning Light (USA, Canada | Imperative Entertainment, Vespucci | Host: Dëneze Nakehk’o | Producers: Michael LaPointe, Aliya Pabani)
Scamanda (USA | Lionsgate Sound | Host: Charlie Webster | Producer: Jaxson McLennan | EP: Craig Piligian, Charlie Webster, Nancy Moscatiello)
The Greatest Menace: Inside The Gay Prison Experiment (Australia | Audible | Host/Producer: Patrick Abboud | Producer: Simon Cunich)
You Didn’t See Nothin (USA | The Invisible Institute, USG Audio | Host: Yohance Lacour | Producers: Bill Healy, Erisa Apantaku, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Sarah Geis)
Best Music Documentary Nominees
Keeping the Music Alive (France, Singapore, UK | TVF International | Directors: Sarah El Younsi, Mandakini Gahlot | Producers: Bable Doc, CNA)
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures, CNN Film, HBO Max | USA, UK | Director: Lisa Cortés | Producers: Lisa Cortés, Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh, Caryn Capotosto)
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (PBS, American Masters | USA | Directors/Producers: Ben Shapiro, Sam Pollard)
Milli Vanilli (USA | Paramount+ | Director: Luke Korem | Producers: Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson)
Pianoforte (Poland, Germany | Greenwich Entertainment | Director: Jakub Piatek | Producer: Maciej Kubicki)
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award Nominees
El Bastón (The City College of New York | USA, Colombia | Director: Nemo Allen | Producers: Aditi Natasha Kini, Juan Blanco García)
Hungry for Freedom (National Film and Television School | UK, Thailand | Director/Producer: Rachata Thongruay | Producer: Athena Vlachos)
Lettre à Elie (Letter to Elie) (National Film and Television School | UK | Director/Producer: Alexis Grigorieff)
PromisedLand™ (National Film and Television School | UK | Director/Producer: Frank Eli Martin | Producer: Tal Elkayam)
With Woman (National Film and Television School | UK | Director/Producer: Mia Harvey)
Best Cinematography Nominees
Between the Rains – Andrew H. Brown (Journeyman Pictures | Kenya, USA)
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood – Ants Tammik (Greenwich Entertainment | Estonia, France, Iceland)
King Coal – Curren Sheldon (Fourth Act Film | USA)
Anselm – Franz Lustig (Sideshow Pictures | Germany)
Songs of Earth – Lars Erlend Tubaas Oymo (SWC/Arte, BBC Storyville | Norway)
Best Editing Nominees
Apolonia, Apolonia – Andreas Bøggild Monies, Thor Ochsner (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
The Eternal Memory – Carolina Siraqyan (MTV Documentary Films | Chile, USA)
Q – Fahd Ahmed (Chehab Films | USA, Lebanon)
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood – Hendrik Mägar, Tushar Prakash (Greenwich Entertainment | Estonia, France, Iceland)
Best Music Score Nominees
To Kill a Tiger – Jonathan Goldsmith (National Film Board of Canada | Canada, India)
Anselm – Leonard Küssner (Sideshow Pictures | Germany)
Songs of Earth – Rebekka Karijord (SWR/Arte, BBC Storyville | Norway)
Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project – Samora Pinderhughes, Chris Pattishall (HBO Documentary Films | USA)
Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV – Will Epstein (Greenwich Entertainment | USA)
Best Writing Nominees
The Mother of All Lies – Asmae El Moudir (Arizona Distribution | Morocco)
Four Daughters – Kaouther Ben Hania (Kino Lorber | France, Tunisia, Germany)
Apolonia, Apolonia – Lea Glob, Andreas Bøggild Monies (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
Milisuthando – Milisuthando Bongela (South Africa)
To Kill a Tiger – Nisha Pahuja (National Film Board of Canada | Canada, India)
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